1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for providing services, the system allowing an electronic musical apparatus to use a service provided by a server apparatus residing on a communications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been known that electronic musical instruments access server computers residing on the Internet to obtain various services such as a music content distribution service from the server computers (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-189611). These electronic musical instruments have not only elements for realizing capabilities as a conventional electronic musical instrument but also those for realizing capabilities as a communications terminal having a communications interface for connecting to the Internet, and a GUI (Graphical User Interface) necessary for obtaining Internet services, the GUI including a display having a relatively large display area suitable for browsing a web page, a pointing device and a web browser.
Due to various reasons such as constraints on cost, design, etc., many of electronic musical instruments simply have only a minimum of user interface without GUI necessary for obtaining the above-described Internet services. For instance, from the viewpoint of design, electronic pianos are usually designed to simply have a minimum of user interface containing only several switches and a quite simple liquid crystal display portion, avoiding exposing elements required for capabilities other than musical capabilities in order not to impair the appearance of an acoustic musical instrument. These electronic musical instruments having only the simple user interface are unable to obtain various services provided via the Internet network. Even though the electronic musical instruments obtain services, those electronic musical instruments impose inconveniences upon users.
In addition, there has been a conventional content provision system which allows a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) connected to the Internet to access a music content distribution site residing on the Internet to download music content to transfer or copy the downloaded music content to the electronic musical instrument connected with the PC as an external apparatus in order to allow the electronic musical instrument to use the music content (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-117798). In this system, however, the PC which delivers the Internet service has to have large capacity memory for storing music content. In order to transfer or copy music content to the electronic musical instrument, in addition, the PC has to perform complicated processing such as encryption of content and authentication of the electronic musical instrument to which the content is to be transferred or copied in order to protect the rights of the music content and to protect the music content from unauthorized copying.